Needle selecting mechanism



Nov. 8, 1960 J. L. D. MORRISON ETAL 2,959,420

NEEDLE SELECTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 3. 1954 P SNR WWW Mm NRT R ERN Mo VOA T N N d I A Nov. 8, 1960 JQL. D. MORRISON mm. 2,959,420

NEEDLE SELECTING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVCNTO JAMES L. D. MORR! N F 0 ROBERT L. VAN ANTWERP BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent O NEEDLE SELECTHNG MECHANISM James L. D. Morrison, Benton Harbor, and Robert L.

Van Antwerp, Sodus, Mich., assignors to V-M Corporation, Benton Harbor, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 3, 1954, Ser. No. 472,924

4 Claims. (Cl. 274-45 The present invention relates to a needle selecting mechanism for use on phonographs, and more particularly to an arrangement for automatically selecting one of a plurality of needles used in conjunction with an automatic record changer.

Automatic record changers which are being produced and sold in mass quantities conventionally include mechanism for playing the ordinary 78-r.p.m. records as well as the well-known long-play 33 rpm. records. The phonograph needle used for playing the 78-r.p.m. record is usually S-mils in diameter, whereas the needle used for playing the long-play records is usually only l-mil in diameter. The pick-up assemblies for these record changers usually have both of these needles movably mounted in a single cartridge which may be operated to place a respective one of the needles in playing position. When changing from a 78-r.p.m. to a long-play record, for example, it is then usually necessary to manually shift these needles as a separate operation on the record changer.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of this invention to provide an automatic needle selecting mechanism which selects the proper needle when the record changer is shifted from one playing speed to another.

It is another object of this invention to provide a needle-selecting mechanism for a record changer whereby one of a plurality of needles may be placed in playing position from a point remote from the needle assembly.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, the invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that specific change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan view of one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top view of a suitable speed-changing mechamsm;

Figs. 4 and 5 are different views respectively of an operating lever carried by the tone arm; and

Fig. 6 is an illustration of an operating cam plate used in the needle-selecting mechanism.

Referring to the drawings. the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a supporting base 10 having a rotatable turntable 12 driven by a speedchanging motor assembly indicated generally by the reference numeral 14 (Fig. 3). Pivotally mounted on the supporting base 10 is a conventional tone arm 16 which carries a pickup cartridge 18 having a one (1) mil needle 22 and a three (3) mil needle 20. This cartridge is conventional and in particular may be of any suitable construction whereby the needles 20 and 22 are alternatively positionable in playing position. A suitable *ice cartridge is disclosed and claimed in Morrison et a1. application Ser. No. 411,372, filed Feb. 19, 1954, entitled Phonograph Pickup Assembly. Another suitable cartridge is manufactured by the Electrovoice Corp. of Buchanan, Mich., and is identified as Model EV47. Both of these cartridges may be operated by a reciprocable member such as the link or strut 24 which extends longitudinally beneath the tone arm for connection to a lever 26 which is pivotally mounted on a tone arm 16. Figs. 4 and 5 show the detailed construction of this lever 26. The connection of the link 24 is made with the outer extremity 28 of the lever arm 30 whereby movement of the lever 26 about its pivotal support 32 serves to swing the arm 30. Thus, swinging movement of the lever 26 will cause reciprocal movement of the link 24 and consequent changing of the two needles 20 and 22 into playing position, respectively. Movement of the link 24 in one direction places one needle 22 in playing position and serves to retract the other needle 20 while opposite movement of the link 24 serves to move the needle 21 into playing position and to retract the needle 22.

The lever 26 has a second arm generally indicated by the reference numeral 3-4 which is provided on its underneath side with a cam-centering surface 36 having convergent inclination toward a slot 38.

A crank 46 is pivotally mounted in the supporting base 10 and has arms 42 and 44 on its opposite ends. The arm 42 is bent upwardly into an upright portion 46 which is slidably engageable with the cam surface 50 and slot 38. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, rotation of the crank 40 will serve to swing the lever 26 because of the engagement of the crank end 46 with the slot 38. This engagement occurs only when the tone arm 16 is in its illustrated retracted position; however, when a tone arm is in playing position as illustrated by the dashed line configuration 48, the engagement between the lever 26 and crank 40 is broken such that rotational movement of the crank 40 will have no effect in operating the lever 26.

In brief explanation of the operation of the mechanism thus far described, swinging movement of the crank 40' when the tone arm 16 is retracted will serve to reciprocate the link 24 and in turn to change the needles 20 and 22. Should the crank 46 be swung out of registry with the slot 38 While the tone arm is in the dashed line position 48, the needles 20 and 22 will not be changed. However, when the tone arm is retracted, the lever cam surface 50 will engage the tip end 46 of the crank 40 whereupon the lever 26 will be rotated in a direction to cause the crank end 46 to drop into the slot 38. When this occurs, the needles 2t and 22 will be shifted to a diiferent position depending upon the setting of the crank 40.

This camming action of the lever 26 may occur when the tone arm lowers from an elevated position onto the tip end 46 of the crank 40. Since the cam surface 36 is exposed downwardly, it is seen that the lever 26 will be cammed in a direction to cause engagement of the slot 38 with the crank end 46.

As is shown more clearly in Fig. 4, the back edge of the lever arm 34 converges inwardly, thereby providing a lateral centering-cam surface indicated by the reference numeral 50. Thus engagement of the lever 26 in either lateral or vertical directions will serve to position the lever 26 in accordance with the position of the crank 40.

A second link 52 positioned adjacent to the underside of the base plate 10 is provided with a hook 54 for engaging the arm 44 of the crank 40. This link is provided at the other end with an upturned portion 56 which passes through a cam slot 58 of a pivotal cam plate 60. The cam plate 60 is mounted on operating shaft 62 of the speed-changing mechanism 14 of Fig. 3, this mechanism 14 being provided with a manually operable knob 64 which may be selectively positioned in one of the four illustrated operating positions for selecting one of the turntable speeds of 16, 33, 45 or 78 r.p.rn., respectively. The cam plate 66 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 62 such that when this shaft swings, the cam plate 68 will move in unison. The end of the motor-mounting plate 66 is provided with a suitable slot 68 which reciprocably receives the upright end 56 of the link 52 such that as the cam plate 68 is swung about the pivot 62 the link end 56 will be moved inwardly and outwardly in this slot The cam slot 58 is so formed that portion 76 of larger radius serves in moving the link 52, crank 48, lever 26 and link 24 to a position which places one of the needles 20, for example, in playing position. This corresponds in a practical embodiment of the invention to the 78 position for the record changer. When the speed-changing shaft 62 is rotated to one of the other playing speeds 16, 33 or 45 rpm, the cam surface 58 will pull the link 52 toward the left as viewed in Fig. 1 such as to rotate the crank 40 for moving the other needle 22 into playing position and to retract the needle 29. Thus it is now seen that pivotal positioning of the cam plate 68 serves as a convenient means for selecting one of the two needles or 22. Since this cam plate 60 is operatively secured to the speed-changing mechanism 14, it is evident that selection of different turntable speeds serves to automatically select the proper needle 2! 22.

The speed-changing mechanism (Fig. 3) is a conventional item and is disclosed and claimed in Morrison Application Serial No. 419,520, filed March 29, 1954, for a Phonograph Motor Device. insofar as is necessary to a complete understanding of this invention, the disclosures of the two Morrison applications mentioned hereinbefore are included as a part of this disclosure. Obviously, other speed-changing mechanisms having movable controls, such as the shaft 62, may be used in place of the specific mechanism 14 illustrated. Similarly, any cartridge assembly 18 having a plurality of needles which are moved into playing position by either a sliding or rotary action may be operated by means of the reciprocal link 24. A basic feature of this invention resides in the fact that the proper needle is selected automatically upon changing the turntable speed.

What is claimed is:

1. A needle-selecting mechanism for a record changer comprising a supporting base, a turntable rotatably mounted on said base, motor means for driving said turntable, manually operable speed-changing means on said base for varying the speed of said turntable, a tone arm pivotally mounted on said base, a pickup carried by said tone arm adjacent its free end and having at least two needles which are alternatively movable into playing position, a lever member pivotally mounted on said tone arm remote from its free end, a reciprocable strut interconnecting said lever member with said pickup needles for moving the needles selectively into playing position, a leveroperating member pivotall mounted on said base outwardly of said turntable and having an oifset portion which is in the path of outward movement of said tonearm-mounted lever member and operatively engageable with said lever member, means whereby engagement be tween said lever member and said lever-operating member occurs only when said tone arm is swung to a predetermined position outwardly of said turntable and serves as an operating connection between said lever member and said lever-operating member, means whereby such engagement is broken when the tone arm is not in said predetermined position, and a linkage operatively interconnecting said speed-changing means with said leveroperating member for selectively moving said needles into and out of playing position.

2. A needle-selecting mechanism for a record changer comprising a supporting base, a turntable rotatably mounted on said base, motor means for driving said turntable, manually operable speed-changing means on said base for varying the speed of said turntable, a tone arm pivotally mounted on said base, a pickup carried by said tone arm having at least two needles which are alternatively movable into playing position, a lever member pivotally mounted on said tone arm, a strut operatively interconnecting said lever member with said pickup needles for moving the needles selectively into playing position, said lever member having a centering-cam surface, a crank member pivotally mounted on said base outwardly of said turntable and having an oiiset arm removably engageable with said centeringcam surface, the engagement between said offset arm and said centeringcam surface serving to position positively said lever member and further to swing said lever member when said crank member is pivoted, and a linkage operatively interconnecting said speed-changing means with said crank member for selectively moving said needles into and out of playing position.

3. A needle-selecting mechanism for a record changer comprising a supporting base, a turntable rotatably mounted on said base, motor means for driving said turntable, manually operable speed-changing means on said base for varying the speed of said turntable, a tone arm pivotally mounted on said base, a pickup carried by said tone arm having at least two needles which are alternatively movable into playing position, a lever member pivotally mounted on said tone arm, a strut operatively interconnecting said lever member With said pickup needles for moving the needles selectively into playing position, said lever member having a centering-cam surface, a crank member pivotally mounted on said base outwardly of said turntable and having an offset arm removably engageable with said centering-cam surface, the engagement between said offset arm and said centering-cam surface serving to position positively said lever member and further to swing said lever member when said crank member is pivoted, a link connected to said crank arm for pivoting the latter, an operating cam pivotally supported on said base and having a cam surface engageable withsaid link, pivotal movement of said cam serving to reciprocate said link, and an interconnecting linkage between said operating cam and said speed-changing means Which serves to cause needle-selecting movement of said link when said speed-changing means is operated.

4. A needle-selecting mechanism for a record changer comprising a supporting base, a tone arm pivotally mounted on said base, a pickup carried by said tone arm having at least two needles which are alternatively movable into playing position, a lever member pivotally mounted on said tone arm, a strut interconnecting said lever member with said pickup needles for moving the needles selectively into playing position, said lever member having a centering-cam surface, a crank member pivotally mounted on said base outwardly of said turntable and having an offset arm removably engageable with said centering-cam surface, the engagement between said offset arm and said centering-cam surface serving to position positively said lever member and further to swing said lever member when said crank member is pivoted, a link connected to said crank arm for pivoting the latter, an operating cam pivotally supported on said base and having a cam surface engageable with said link, pivotal movement of said cam serving to reciprocate said link and to cause selection of said needles.

References (Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,526,188 Andres Oct. 17, 1950 2,577,876 Cranmer Dec. 11, 1951 2,588,616 Carlson Mar. 11, 1952 2,608,411 Fisher Aug. 26, 1952 2,689,734 Wennerbo et a1. Sept. 21, 1954 2,718,399 Martin et al. Sept. 20, 1955 

